Chris and I recently went to Willow Restaurant right here in Arlington, thanks to a Groupon! Seriously, half of the time we go out to eat, we use a coupon from Savored (formerly “VillageVines”), Groupon, or LivingSocial. We sat outside, because we’d sat inside last time we went… and the feel of the restaurant is completely different depending on where you sit. Inside, it’s got a very posh vibe. You walk up to the host desk, and you feel like you’re checking into a very expensive and ritzy hotel. Or maybe a night club. (Well, that might be a stretch.) Outside, the feel is a lot more casual and informal (though definitely still classy!). Unfortunately, although the temperature was somewhat cooler than usual that evening, it still felt extremely muggy outside! Oh well.

He loved it. Scallops are his new favorite thing, and they were seared to perfection. I was feeling like going veggie, so I ordered the Duo of Fennel & Spring Asparagus (“Fennel Raviolini, Potato Gnocchi, & Spring Vegetables with Gratin of Fennel & Savory, Black Truffle Butter”). I also ordered a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. (Typical.)

Duo of Fennel & Spring Asparagus

My meal was delicious, but I was so hungry going into dinner that afterwards I wished I’d ordered fish instead.

Willow is great, but I don’t dream about the food when I’m not there. Food critics must agree… it was on the Top 100 list last year, but didn’t make the cut for 2011. Sorry, Willow. It’s definitely a nice place to have right around the corner! The overall result — and the cost — make it more of a draw with a coupon though.

I haven’t been cooking a lot this week. We were out of town in Blacksburg last weekend, and let me just say that if you ever are in Blacksburg, you MUST go to Gillie’s for breakfast. I love everything on the menu, but usually order the Red Earth (homemade salsa on top of scrambled eggs on top of potatoes!). I need to recreate that sometime. Anyway, this week has just been a busier one of leftovers, eating at Panera, eating at National’s Park, etc! By the way, we totally missed these new vendors at the stadium. That’s okay, Ben’s Chili Bowl is still pretty exciting.

I did want to share one of my favorite easy and quick veggie meals. I consider myself a flexitarian (yes, that word is for real!), so I love eating vegetarian whenever I can. Here is a recipe for goat cheese and asparagus quesadillas… and I always add mushrooms!

Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Mushroom Quesadillas

I’m starting to wonder if I only eat the same ingredients all the time? I do love asparagus, goat cheese, and mushrooms. :) You can make these in a pan on the stove, but I’ve started using our little George Foreman grill instead.

I’m making a Mexican casserole this weekend for our friends who just had a baby, and then we’re having a couple over for Mexican food on Monday… so those are my next cooking adventures!

Some foods are just made for each other: Peanut butter and jelly. Chips and salsa. Goat cheese and pesto! This heavenly combo won me over in pizza form on Saturday night. This morning, the memory was lingering so strongly that I decided my usual bagel with cream cheese just wouldn’t do. (Sometimes when I find a food combo I love, I become a serial eater.)

First, the pizzas. I had been intrigued by a recipe in Food & Wine Magazine’sQuick From Scratch Italian Cookbook (can also be found here). We made some adaptations though. Chris and I don’t like eggplant, so we used portabella mushrooms instead. We also added some chopped onions and pizza sauce, because I don’t know about you, but when I’m really in the mood for pizza, a sauce-less one just will not make the cut. Finally, whenever we’ve been making pizzas lately, we use garlic-and-herb pizza dough from Trader Joe’s. It adds a lot of party to a pizza.

We are unfortunately between pizza stones right now, so we used a quiche dish (actually turns out beautiful results!) and a 9 x 9 pan.

Pizzas in the Oven

By the way, Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest newsletter was on homemade pizza. I think the main things I took from it were: 1) Don’t use too much sauce, and 2) I really want a wood-burning oven someday.

Trader Joe’s was our source for wine again. A Lazy Bones 2009 Cabernet Franc from Paso Robles (very cheap, as usual). Chris has been loving Cabernet Francs lately. Though this one was from CA, it is a very popular grape in VA wines. He read to me from The Wine Bible that Cabernet Francs usually have pepper and violet aromas. I’ve never noticed the violet aspect, but the pepper definitely always stands out to me.

Goat Cheese, Portabella, & Pesto Pizza with Cabernet Franc

Finally, my Memorial Day brunch meal. It felt like such an elegant way to start a day-off. Basically, I toasted a plain bagel very lightly. Then I brushed it with olive oil, adding freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. Then came globs of goat cheese, drizzles of pesto, and some chopped sweet red peppers. I popped it all back in the toaster oven for a few more minutes, and the meal turned out AMAZING.

Goat Cheese, Pesto, & Red Pepper Bagel

Also, I highly recommend making your own pesto. It is SO easy, and SO worth it! I always use a recipe out of a vegetarian cookbook I have, but it is similar to this. You can refrigerate the pesto for up to a week, and freeze it for even longer!